Engine starter



Jan. 9, 1934. SEKELLA 1,942,573

ENGINE STARTER Filed March 30, 1932 2 Sheets-Shet 1 [1V V E N TORyous/ton Sahel/La A TORNEY Jan. 9, 1934.

Y. SEKELLA ENGINE STARTER Filed March so, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 11vVENTOR ion SAQkeLZ/CL A TTORNE Y Patented Jan. 9, 1934 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFIfiE ENGINE STARTER Application March 30, 1932. Serial No.602,053

9 Claims.

The present invention relates to an engine starter and more particularlyto starter gearing of the type in which a pinion is moved manually intomesh with a gear of the engine to be started and is automaticallydemeshed therefrom when the engine starts.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel startergearing of the manual shift type in which the starting pinion may bemounted directly on a smooth reduced extension of the starting motorshaft whereby a small pinion giving a high gear reduction may be used.

Another object of the invention is to provide such a device in which themeshing and driving forces are transmitted to the pinion through lugs orabutments arranged substantially perpendicular to the direction of suchforces whereby wedging or jamming of the parts is avoided.

A further object is to provide such a device in which the pinion isautomatically withdrawn from engagement with the engine gear when theengine starts by means of an inclined connection between the pinion andits shifting means.

Another object is to provide such a device in which the normal drivingrelation between the pinion and its shifting means is reestablished in apositive and reliable manner when the shifting means is returned to itsidle position.

Another object is to provide such a device which comprises a smallnumber of working parts and which is simple and economical inconstruction and the parts of which are readily assembled.

Further objects and advantages will be ap parent to those skilled inthis art from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation partly in section of a preferred embodimentof the invention showing the parts in their normal idle positions;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in cranking position;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the parts in the positions assumed whenthe engine has started;

Fig. 4 is a similar View showing the positions of the parts during thereturn movement of the manual shifting member just previous to itsreaching its normal idle position;

Fig. 5 is a detail in perspective of the parts of the engine drivingmember; and

Fig. 6 is a similar detail of the parts of the shifting and rotatingmember.

Referring first to Fig. 1 of the drawings, there is illustrated aportion of a starting motor 1 providing a power member in the form of anextended armature shaft 2 which is splined for a portion of its lengthas indicated at 3 and is provided with a reduced smooth portion 4 forthe remainder of its length. The outer end of the armature shaft ispreferably journalled in an outboard bearing 5 formed on an extension 6of the motor frame.

A driving member including a pinion '7 is slidably journalled on thesmooth portion 4 of the power shaft and is arranged to be moved into andout of engagement with a member such as a flywheel gear 8 of an engineto be started. The driving member also includes an axial extension 70.or sleeve 9 as best illustrated in Fig. 5, which extension may be formedintegrally with the pinion or may be threaded thereto as indicated at 11and 12. The sleeve 9 of the driving member is provided with threads 13of comparatively steep pitch, the ends of the threads forming a stopshoulder for defining the position of the pinion on said sleeve.

A manual shifting and rotating member in the form of a barrel 14 issplined on the splined portion of the power shaft and is arranged totelescope over the sleeve 9 of the driving member. The shifting member14 is provided with internal threads adapted to cooperate with thethreads 13 of the driving member, these threads being formed 85.integrally with the barrel 14 or preferably being 7 formed as shown in anut member 15 adapted to seat in the open end of said barrel, beingretained therein by suitable means such as a split ring 16.

The barrel 14 is formed with driving lugs or projections 17 (Fig. 6) inits interior, and the nut member 15 is formed with recesses 18 which areadapted to receive said driving lugs whereby the nut is effectivelykeyed to the shifting member 14. The sleeve 9 of the driving member isprovided on its end with projections 19 which are adapted to bearagainst the driving sides of the lugs 17 when the parts are in theirnormal driving relation. In this manner torque is transmitted directlyfrom the shifting and rotating member 14 to the driving member, andsince the engaging surfaces on the projections 17 and 19 are arrangedaxially, there is no tendency for the parts to wedge or jam due to thecranking torque transmitted therethrough.

According to the present invention. means are provided for positivelyconnecting the driving member to the shifting member 14 for shiftingmovement therewith into engagement with the 9 engine member, such meansbeing arranged so as not to interfere with the automatic withdrawal ofthe pinion from the engine gear when the engine starts. As hereillustrated, this means is provided by cuttin away the threads 13 on thedriving member as best shown in Fig. 5, so as to form widened threadspaces 21 on the portion of said driving member which is occupied by thenut member 15 when the parts are in idle positon. The remainder of thethreads 13 on the driving member are formed to have the usual runningfit with the threads 22 in the nut member 15, as indicated at 23,circumierentially extending shoulders 24 being formed at the junctionbetween the normal threads and the cut away portions thereof.

Referring now in particular to the showing in Fig. 1, it will be seenthat when the parts are in idle position the threads 22 of the nutmember occupy the cut away portions 21 of the pinion member with theends of the threads 22 in position to engage the shoulders 24.Longitudinal motion of the shifting member 14 toward the right in Fig. 1will thus be transmitted positively by said engagement of the ends ofthreads 22 with the shoulders 24 to move the pinion member intoengagement with the engine gear 8. Obviously, however, this engagementdoes not interfere with the automatic retraction of the pinion from theengine gear when the engine starts, since overrunning of the enginemember causes the driving member to overrun the shift ing member wherebythe rear sides 25 (Fig. 5) of the threads 13 engage the threads 22 ofthe nut member 15 and cause the driving member to telescope back intothe shifting member until the rear end 2'0 of the sleeve 9 engagesshoulder 27 formed at the rear of the shifting barrel as indicated inFig. 3.

According to the present invention means are further provided forreturning the driving member to its normal relation to the shiftingmember 14 and for indexing said member in order to move the ends of thethreads 22 back into engaging relation with the shoulders 24. As hereillustrated this means comprises projections 28 (Fig. 6) formed on therear edge of the nut member 15, and inclined surfaces 29 formed on thedriving projections 19 or" the driving member in position to engage saidprojections 28 when the shifting member returns to its idle position.The inclination of the surface 29 is sufficiently steeper than the pitchof the threads 13 so that the final relative movement between thedriving member and shifting member in returning to their normalpositions causes the driving member to be indexed with respect to theshifting member sufliciently to cause the threads 22 of the nut memberto occupy the widened spaces 21 between the threads 13 as illustrated inFig. 1.

Rearward movement of the driving member on the power shaft is limited bya shoulder 31 formed at the end of the splined portion of said shaft,and rearward'motion of the shifting member 14 is limited by suitablemeans such as a thrust sleeve 32 fixed on said shaft.

Manually operated means i or moving the shifting member is provided inthe form of a shifting fork 33 pivoted to theextension 6 of the motorhousing as indicated at 34 and having rollers 35 on the tines thereofarranged to engage in a peripheral groove 36 in said shifting member. Anoperating lever 37 for said shifting fork is also journalled on thepivot 34 and is yieldably connected to the shifting fork by suitablemeans esasvs such as a spring 38 which normally retains the lever andshifting fork in aligned relation as defined by stop lugs 39 and 41 onsaid members respectively.

The operating lever 37 is arranged to be moved by suitable means such asa link 42 from a starting pedal not shown, and is formed as indicated at43 to engage the button 44 of a starting switch 45 mounted on thestarting motor. This operating mechanism is so arranged as to olose saidswitch after the starter gearing has been moved into cranking position.

In the operation of the device and starting with the parts in thepositions illustrated in Fig. 1, depression of the starting pedal by theoperator swings the lever 37 in a counter clock-wise direction wherebythe fork 33 moves the shifting member 14 to the right. This longitudinalmotion is positively transmitted to the pinion 7 by the engagement ofthe ends of the threads 22 against the shoulders 24 on the drivingmember whereby the pinion is moved into cranking engagement with theengine member. The final motion of the lever 37 causes closure of thestarting switch 45 as indicated in Fig. 2 whereupon the motor 1 becomesenergized. Rotation of the power shaft 2 by the motor is transmittedthrough the splines 3 to the shifting member 4, and through the drivinglugs 17 to the projections 19 on the driving member whereby the pinionis positively driven in order to crank the engine. When the enginestarts, the acceleration of the engine gear 8 causes the pinion Z tooverrun the shifting member whereby the backs 25 of the threads 13engage the threads 22 of the nut member 15 and 110 cause the drivingmember to be telescoped into the shifting member until the rear end 26of the driving member engages the shoulder 27 of the shifting member.The driving lugs 17 in the shifting member 14 are preferably cut away asindicated at 46 in order to provide clearance for the projections 19during this rearward'motion.

Release of the starting pedal allows the return of the shifting memberto its normal position by any suitable means such as a spring 47. Thedriving member initially moves back with the shifting member until itengages the shoulder 31 on the power shaft. Further rearward motion ofthe driving member is thereupon interrupted and the continued motion ofthe shifting 125 member causes the driving member to rotate against saidshoulder as indicated in Fig. 4.

When the shifting member has nearly reached its idle position as shownin Fig. 4, the projections 28 on the nut member 15 come into engagement130 with the inclined surfaces 29 of the projections 19 on the drivingmember whereupon the rotation of the driving member is acceleratedsufficiently to index the shoulders 24 into engaging relation 7 with thethreads 22 of the nut member thereby 135 placing the parts in positionfor the next starting operation. 7

Although but one embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed in detail, it will be understood that other embodiments arepos- 4g sible and that various changes may be made in the arrangementsand details of the structural elements without departing from the spiritof the invention as defined in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:-

1. In a starter gearing for internal combustion engines, a power shaft,2. driving member freely journalled thereon for movement into and out ofengagement with a member of the engine to be 150 started, a shifting androtating member for said driving member splined on said power shaft,said shifting member and driving member having cooperating connectionscomprising abutments normally in registry for shifting the drivingmember, said shifting member and driving member also having an inclinedconnection therebetween, said connections being so arranged thatoverrunning of the engine member is effective to move said abutments outof registry and automatically withdraw the driving member from itsengagement with the engine member, and means for returning the drivingmember to normal driving relation with the shifting member, with theabutments in engaging position when the shifting member is returned toits idle position.

2. Starter gearing for internal combustion engines including a powershaft, a driving member slidably journalled thereon for movement intoand out of engagement with a member of an engine to be started, ashifting and rotating member connected to the power shaft forlongitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith, saidshifting member and driving member having a threaded connection wherebyoverrunning of the engine member causes the driving member to bewithdrawn from engagement therewith, said threads being formed toprovide shoulders adapted to connect the driving member positively tothe shifting member for movement therewith into engagement with theengine member, said threads being further formed to provide lost motiontherebetween when the parts are in their normal driving position wherebyoverrunning of the engine member disengages said shoulders andthereafter causes the threads to cooperate to withdraw the drivingmember from the engine member, and means actuated by movement of theshifting member back to idle position for moving said shoulders back toengaging position.

3. Starter gearing for internal combustion engines including a powershaft, a driving member slidably journalled thereon for movement intoand out of engagement with a member of an engine to be started, ashifting and rotating member connected to the power shaft forlongitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith saidshifting member and driving member having means including cooperatingabutments for rotating the driving member in a direction to crank theengine, said means also including a threaded connection wherebyoverrunning of the engine member causes the driving member to bewithdrawn from engagement therewith, said threads being formed toprovide circumferential shoulders adapted to connect the driving memberpositively to the shifting member for movement therewith into engagementwith the engine member, said threads being further formed to providelost motion therebetween when the parts are in their normal drivingposition whereby overrunning of the engine member disengages saidshoulders and thereafter causes the threads to cooperate to withdraw thedriving member from the engine member, said abutments having an inciinedconnection established by return movement of the shifting member to idleposition for indexing the driving member into position for saidshoulders to reengage.

4. Starter gearing for internal combustion engines including a powershaft, a driving member slidably journalled thereon for movement intoand out of engagement with a member of an engine to be started, ashifting and rotating member connected to the power shaft forlongitudinal movement thereof and rotary movement therewith, saidshifting member and driving member having means including cooperatingabutments connected therewith for rotating the driving member in adirection to crank the engine, said means also including a threadedconnection whereby overrunning of the engine member causes the drivingmember to be withdrawn from engagement therewith, said threads beingformed to provide circumferential shoulders adapted to connect thedriving member positively to the shifting member for movement therewithinto engagement with the engine member, said threads being furtherformed to provide lost motion therebetween when the parts are in theirnormal driving position whereby overrunning of the engine memberdisengages said shoulders and thereafter causes the threads to cooperateto withdraw the driving member from the engine member, said abutmentsconnected with the driving member having surfaces inclined more steeplyin an axial direction than the pitch of the threaded connection, andsaid shifting member having projections arranged to cooperate therewithduring the final part of the return movement of the shifting member toidle position whereby said members are indexed into position to reengagesaid shoulders.

5. Starter gearing for internal combustion engines including a powershaft, a pinion slidably journalled thereon for movement into and out ofengagement with a member of an engine to be started, a shifting androtating member splined on said shaft in telescoping relation with thepinion, said shifting member and pinion having connecting meansincluding a threaded connection, the threads connected to one saidmember being cut away for a portion of its length to provide threadspaces Wider than the threads connected to the other member, said cutaway portions being defined by circumferential shoulders, the threadsconnected to the cooperating member being formed with shoulders adaptedto be engaged thereby and thus couple said members for longitudinalmovement together toward the cranking position.

6. Starter gearing for internal combustion engines including a powershaft, a pinion slidably journalled thereon for movement into and out ofengagement with a member of an engine to be started, a shifting androtating member splined on said shaft in telescoping relation with thepinion, said shifting member and pinion having connecting meansincluding a threaded connection the threads connected to one said memberbeing cut away for a portion of its length to provide thread spaceswider than the threads connected to the other member, said cut awayportions being defined by circumferential shoulders, the threadsconnected to the cooperating member being formed with similar shouldersadapted to be engaged thereby and thus couple said members forlongitudinal movement together toward the cranking position, and meansfor indexing said shoulders into engaging position when the parts aremoved to idle position.

7. Starter gearing for internal combustion engines including a powershaft, a pinion slidably journalled thereon for movement into and out ofengagement with a member of an engine to be started, a shifting androtating member splined on said shaft in telescoping relation with thepinion, said shifting member and pinion having connecting meansincluding a threaded connection and abutments adapted to engage andtransmit cranking torque, the threads connected to said member being cutaway for a portion of their length toprovide thread spaces wider thanthe threads connected to the other member, said cut away portions beingdefined by circumferential shoulders, the threads connected to thecooperating member being formed with shoulders adapted to be engagedthereby and thus couple said members for longitudinal movement togethertoward the cranking position, said abutments of the shifting memberbeing provided with inclined surfaces and said pinion having projectionsrigidly connected thereto adapted to cooperate therewith when the partsare returned to idle position to index the shoulders into engagingposition.

8. Starter gearing for internal combustion engines including a drivingmember, manually operable means for shifting the driving member intoengagement with a member of an engine to be started including abutmentsnormally in registry for transmitting such shifting movement, meansresponsive to overrunning of the engine member for moving said abutmentsout of registry and returning said driving member to idle position, andmeans actuated by the return of the manually operable means to idleposition for returning said abutments to registering position.

9. Starter gearing for internal combustion engines including a manuallyshiftable rotating member, a member adapted to engage and drive a memberof the engine to be started having an inclined lost motion connectionwith said shiftable member, said connection including abutments broughtinto registry when said lost motion is taken up in the drivingdirection, whereby the shifting motion of the shiftable member istransmittedto said driving member, and means for so taking up said lostmotion when the parts are returned to idle position.

YOUSTON SEKELLA.

